Posted in 1952, Clayton Moore, Columbia, Sam Katzman, The Lone Ranger on September 14, 2023| 2 Comments »
Clayton Moore
(September 14, 1914 – December 28, 1999)
Clayton More was born 109 years ago today. From serials like Son Of Geronimo (1952) to all those episodes of The Lone Ranger and the two features, he did some great stuff.
He was also a crusader for kids everywhere, encouraging them to stay in school, be respectful and follow The Lone Ranger Creed. Boy, could we use him now!
Posted in Clayton Moore, The Lone Ranger on January 31, 2023| 7 Comments »
The Lone Ranger first appeared on radio on January 31, 1933, on Detroit’s WXYZ.
Serials, comics, movies, a TV show, cartoons and lots of other stuff would follow — unfortunately, not a national holiday.
Thanks to Bob Madison for the reminder.
Posted in Clayton Moore, The Lone Ranger on April 22, 2021| 34 Comments »
Here’s the beautiful box art for Aurora’s model of The Lone Ranger. The actual model really resembles Clayton Moore.
It was issued in 1967. It was re-released with Gil Kane comic art on the box in 1974. Did you build one of these?
Posted in Clayton Moore, The Lone Ranger on September 14, 2019| 12 Comments »
Clayton Moore
(September 14, 1914 – December 28, 1999)
Clayton More was born 105 years ago today. From his serials to all those episodes of The Lone Ranger, he did some great stuff.
He was also a crusader for kids everywhere, encouraging them to stay in school, be respectful and follow The Lone Ranger Creed. Where is he when we need him?
Posted in Allan Dwan, Andre de Toth, Anthony Mann, Audie Murphy, Barbara Stanwyck, Barry Sullivan, Ben Johnson, Budd Boetticher, Burt Kennedy, Clayton Moore, Clint Walker, Dale Evans, Dale Robertson, Delmer Daves, DVD/Blu-Ray News, Frank Ferguson, Fred F. Sears, George Montgomery, George Sherman, Glenn Ford, Gordon Douglas, Guy Madison, Hank Worden, Jack Arnold, Jacques Tourneur, James Coburn, James H. Griffith, Jay Silverheels, Jeff Chandler, Joel McCrea, John Ford, John McIntire, John Payne, John Sturges, John Wayne, Julie Adams, Kirk Douglas, Lesley Selander, Lippert/Regal, Mara Corday, Marie Windsor, Paul Landres, Phil Karlson, Randolph Scott, Ray Nazarro, Republic Pictures, Richard Widmark, Robert Mitchum, Rory Calhoun, Roy Rogers, Sam Katzman, Sam Peckinpah, Sterling Hayden, The Lone Ranger, Universal (International), William Castle, William Elliott, Yvonne DeCarlo, Zachary Scott on September 4, 2019| 22 Comments »
A while back, I asked for Want Lists of the 50s Westerns still lost on the high-def trail. Here they are, presented in chronological order. The titles in bold are the ones that were brought up most frequently.
With the recent news about Fox/Disney’s lack of interest in their back catalogs appearing on shiny silver circles, getting this finished and posted seemed very timely. Many of these, mind you, haven’t even turned up on DVD yet.
The Virginian (1946)
Albuquerque (1948)
Coroner Creek (1948)
Whispering Smith (1948)
3 Godfathers (1949)
Colorado Territory (1949)
Hellfire (1949)
Streets Of Laredo (1949)
Ambush (1950)
Branded (1950)
Devil’s Doorway (1950)
The Nevadan (1950)
Saddle Tramp (1950)
Short Grass (1950)
Showdown (1950)
Trail Of Robin Hood (1950)
Across The Wide Missouri (1951)
Along The Great Divide (1951)
Apache Drums (1951)
Best Of The Badmen (1951)
The Great Missouri Raid (1951)
Inside Straight (1951)
Man In The Saddle (1951)
Red Mountain (1951)
The Redhead And The Cowboy (1951)
The Secret Of Convict Lake (1951)
The Texas Rangers (1951)
Westward The Women (1951)
Vengeance Valley (1951)
Warpath (1951)
The Big Sky (1952)
Bugles In The Afternoon (1952)
Hangman’s Knot (1952)
The Lawless Breed (1952)
The Lusty Men (1952)
The Naked Spur (1952)
Ride The Man Down (1952)
The Savage (1952)
The Story Of Will Rogers (1952)
Untamed Frontier (1952)
Ambush At Tomahawk Gap (1953)
Charge At Feather River (1953)
City Of Bad Men (1953)
Devil’s Canyon {1953)
Escape From Fort Bravo (1953)
The Great Sioux Uprising (1953)
Jack McCall, Desperado (1953)
Last Of The Comanches (1953)
The Last Posse (1953)
The Silver Whip (1953)
The Stranger Wore A Gun (1953)
Wings Of The Hawk (1953)
Tumbleweed (1953)
Apache (1954)
The Bounty Hunter (1954)
Cattle Queen Of Montana (1954)
The Command (1954)
Dawn At Socorro (1954)
The Law Vs. Billy The Kid (1954)
The Outcast (1954)
Ride Clear Of Diablo (1954)
Silver Lode (1954)
Wyoming Renegades (1954)
The Yellow Tomahawk (1954)
At Gunpoint (1955)
Chief Crazy Horse (1955)
The Last Frontier (1955)
The Man From Bitter Ridge (1955)
Shotgun (1955)
Smoke Signal (1955)
Tennessee’s Partner (1955)
The Violent Men (1955)
Wichita (1955)
Backlash (1956)
Dakota Incident (1956)
Fastest Gun Alive (1956)
Fury At Gunsight Pass (1956)
Great Day In The Morning (1956)
The Last Wagon (1956)
The Lone Ranger (1956)
The Maverick Queen (1956)
Reprisal! (1956)
Seven Men From Now (1956)
Stagecoach To Fury (1956)
Tribute To A Bad Man (1956)
Copper Sky (1957)
Domino Kid (1957)
Dragoon Wells Massacre (1957)
Hell Canyon Outlaws (1957)
From Hell To Texas (1958)
Frontier Gun (1958)
The Lone Ranger And The Lost City Of Gold (1958)
Face Of A Fugitive (1959)
Last Train From Gun Hill (1959)
No Name On The Bullet (1959)
Thunder In The Sun (1959)
Yellowstone Kelly (1959)
The Alamo (1960)
Hell Bent For Leather (1960)
Cheyenne Autumn (1964)
Firecreek (1968)
Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid (1973)
As this was being compiled, a few titles actually made their way to Blu-Ray, one of them being the exquisite new Wagon Master (1950) from Warner Archive.
Posted in 1958, Clayton Moore, Jay Silverheels, Lesley Selander, The Lone Ranger on August 5, 2019| 8 Comments »
Sorry, kids, but the Dora movie coming out this week is really bogus. We all know The Lone Ranger already found the Lost City Of Gold. Unless, of course, somebody lost it again.
I’ll take Jay Silverheels over a CGI monkey any day.
Posted in 1958, Clayton Moore, Douglas Kennedy, Jay Silverheels, Lesley Selander, The Lone Ranger, United Artists on January 31, 2019| 11 Comments »
Directed by Lesley Selander
Produced by Sherman Harris
Written by Robert Schaeffer and Eric Freiwald
Based on the Lone Ranger legend
Cinematography: Kenneth Peach
Film Editor: Robert S. Golden
Music by Les Baxter
CAST: Clayton Moore (The Lone Ranger), Jay Silverheels (Tonto), Douglas Kennedy (Ross Brady), Charles Watts (Sheriff Oscar), Noreen Nash (Mrs. Frances Henderson), Ralph Moody (Padre Esteban), Lisa Montell (Paviva), John Miljan (Chief Tomache), Norman Fredric (Dr. James Rolfe), Maurice Jara (Redbird), Bill Henry (Travers), Lane Bradford (Henchman)
__________
I watched the Moore-Silverheels Lone Ranger features countless times as a kid (you could get complete Super 8mm prints of them) and always preferred the second one, The Lone Ranger And The Lost City Of Gold (1958). Seeing them again recently, and placing them within the context of the 50s Western as a whole, I still love them. And I’m still convinced the second one’s the best.
The Lone Ranger And The Lost City Of Gold would be the last time Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels played The Lone Ranger and Tonto. The TV series wrapped up in June of ’57, a year before this picture would open. Luckily, they were able to go out on a high note.
“Dear Santa, all I want for Christmas…”
It begins with a brief recap of The Lone Ranger origin, set to a cool song from Les Baxter (see the record above). This gives way to the prerequisite “William Tell Overture.” It’s a shame they didn’t head to the Iverson Ranch for a big-screen shot of Moore and Silver next to Lone Ranger Rock.
The plot’s a variation on a fairly common one — a group of Masked Raiders are searching for a series of medallions that reveal the location of a vast cave filled with Indian gold. The Lone Ranger and Tonto must prevent the Raiders from getting the last of the medallions and taking the treasure that belongs to the Indians.
Of course, one of the Raiders is Douglas Kennedy. It’s always a treat when he turns up in something. Ralph Moody is great as a padre. Noreen Nash is a woman in cahoots with the Raiders. Nash didn’t have a real stellar career, though she’s in an episode of The Lone Ranger, a Dragnet and the Tim Holt picture Road Agent (1952) — so who’s complaining? Lisa Montell plays Paviva, a lovely Indian maiden. She’s a favorite of mine thanks to World Without End (1956). Then there’s a baby boy that seems to be played by a girl — given away by tiny little earrings.
Lesley Selander cranks up the action and violence a notch for The Lone Ranger And The Lost City Of Gold. As a kid, it drove me nuts that, on TV, Clayton Moore just shot the guns out of the bad guys’ hands. Here, he actually drills somebody. So does Tonto. There’s also a terrific fistfight towards the end.
Much of this was shot at Old Tucson, and it gives you a great view of the place. The climax has Moore, Silverheels, Kennedy and others sneaking around the small houses you’ve seen in all kinds of stuff. The beautiful San Xavier del Bac Mission is also featured. And while all the location work’s gorgeous and adds plenty of production value, the absence of the familiar Iverson rocks from the TV show is a bit jarring.
This picture was clearly meant for kids. But there’s something about The Lone Ranger and Tonto I find more appealing the older I get. Their friendship, their fairness and their ongoing fight for justice are things we all could use some extra exposure to. I love this movie.
The Lone Ranger And The Lost City Of Gold is pretty easy to find on DVD. The VCI release from years ago presents it in its original aspect ratio, though a non-anamorphic letterboxed version. It’s the best one around. I’d love to see both of these Moore-Silverheels features make their way to Blu-Ray.
Just realized, thanks to Bob Madison, that today is the anniversary of the first Lone Ranger radio broadcast (1933).
Posted in Clayton Moore, Jay Silverheels, Television, The Lone Ranger on January 7, 2019| 21 Comments »
The new year, and each and every morning, is getting off to a great start. COZI TV, which brings lots of cool old shows to NBC stations (5.2 here in Raleigh) has added four episodes of The Lone Ranger to their morning lineup.
What a great way to start the day, though it has really slowed down my morning routine.
Posted in Clayton Moore, DVD/Blu-Ray News, Republic Pictures, Roy Barcroft, Serial Squadron on October 8, 2018| 20 Comments »
Directed by Fred C. Brannon
Starring Clayton Moore, Pamela Blake, Roy Barcroft, George J. Lewis
Serial Squadron has announced a February 2019 release date for Republic’s 12-chapter serial Ghost Of Zorro (1949) on both DVD and Blu-Ray. This one borrows footage liberally from other Republic serials. It’s great to see Clayton Moore have a lead — without a mask. Can’t wait.
Posted in Clayton Moore, The Lone Ranger on September 14, 2018| 21 Comments »
Clayton Moore
(September 14, 1914 – December 28, 1999)
The great Clayton More was born 104 years ago today. He was a terrific heavy in tons of Westerns and serials. He was a inspiration to kids everywhere as The Lone Ranger. And by all accounts, he was a really nice guy.
50 Westerns From The 50s. 